Pentagon aids energy independence

Our nation’s military has long demonstrated its ability to identify strategic national security challenges and then solve them in innovative ways. It’s disappointing that Congress may try to second-guess the Pentagon’s attempts to tackle one big problem: our dependence on foreign oil.

Without changes to the new National Defense Authorization Act, which the Senate Armed Services Committee just passed, the Defense Department’s ability to buy domestic biofuels will be curtailed significantly. This would be a setback for achieving energy independence, strengthening long-term national security and protecting service members in harm’s way. We hope to correct that short-sighted mistake when the bill reaches the Senate floor.

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The Defense Department, as the federal government’s largest energy consumer, has a clear interest in weaning itself off foreign oil. Under both Republican and Democratic administrations, the Pentagon has invested significant time and effort to improve its energy efficiency. This could help reduce the need for dangerous fuel convoys and help develop homegrown energy sources.

The Arab Spring, Libyan uprising and Iran’s threat to mine the Strait of Hormuz illustrated the continuing possibility of major disruptions in oil supply and the security risks involved in maintaining access to foreign oil.

Our men and women in uniform are regularly called on to protect global waterways, and U.S. ships have patrolled the Persian Gulf for more than 60 years. Yet, we remain dependent on oil from this unstable region and continue to pay the costs associated with protecting those vital supply lines.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus deserves credit for increasing the use of a promising new energy source — advanced biofuels. There’s a reason he picked biofuels: They offer a long-term reliable energy source to power a fleet of ships and fuel-thirsty aircraft that has several military advantages. The algae, switchgrass, wood waste and other sources are renewable. The resulting biofuel can be produced domestically and just dropped in to existing aircraft, ships and vehicles without expensive engine modifications.

How well have they worked? The Navy has successfully tested nearly all of its ships and aircraft on biofuel blends — including an F-18 fighter flying at twice the speed of sound and a ship moving at 50 knots. It will soon conduct its largest biofuels test ever.